Tuesday, August 19, 2008

How About Those Ravens?

For some reason we talk about births a lot in this house. (Don't get all riled up now--I'm not pregnant.) But we talk about deliveries a lot, the different kinds, the most painful, grossest, easiest to heal from, etc. I generally get an unpleasant feeling just thinking about it. Gee, these conversations are probably a form of birth control in of themselves.

Anyway, the other night we were wondering what water births are like. It's supposed to be less traumatic for the baby and less painful for the mother as well. Sounds a little too perfect. So of course I look for things wrong with it. I really wanted to know how the deliverer (midwife, doctor, second cousin, whoever) knows what's going on down there if the woman's lower half is submerged in water. And I hear the room is supposed to be pretty dark too. Pug said they feel with their hands to make sure everything's all right and squared away for the little guy to swim on out of there and then they guide it out. No need to see what's happening. Really? I asked if they dunk underwater to take a peek for good measure while performing the delivery. You know, just to be sure all is going according to plan, and he said it's not like they suit up in snorkeling gear for the occasion. So then we got off on a tangent about snorkeling. And that was the end of that.